FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers: Indian squad announced for upcoming matches

The Indian squad for the upcoming matches against Qatar and Kazakhstan in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers has been announced today. 

India will face Qatar on Friday, 22nd November, and Kazakhstan on Monday, 25th November at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. 

The main men

All eyes will be on Aravind Muthukrishnan, who is leading the charts for India in points per game, with 26 points in two matches so far. 

He scored 17 points in the first match against Kazakhstan and against Iran, added another nine points to his tally. 

He will be India's main man along with Pranav Prince, who has scored 17 points for India in the two games and along with that, has 15 points from rebounds as well. 

Skipper Muin Bek Hafeez leads the chart in assists, with five to his name, and will also be a key figure in the Indian setup.

Being a local lad, he spoke about how the two matches happening in Chennai can have a positive impact on the young basketball players in Tamil Nadu. 

"Youngsters must come and watch this match. It will be a big motivation for them. This is the first time we're playing in Chennai, we usually play in Bengaluru or Delhi but to play in Chennai is a great opportunity for the youngsters to come and watch the game and get exposed to the international stage," he said to Basketball India. 

Coach Scott William Flemming has also called upon the services of Harsh Dagar, who is back in the senior team after good performances in the junior competitions. 

India have played two games in the ongoing FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers so far, losing both of them. They lost the opening match against Kazakhstan 50-63, followed by a massive defeat against Iran, losing 53-86. 

India's record against Qatar, whom they will face in two days, doesn't look good either, with the Indians winning only one of their five encounters. 

The match is scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM, IST, and can be watched on the FIBA YouTube channel.